Past Lives
by DontForgetWhereYouGotMe
Summary: "Is it true that Purebloods have past lives?" the man asked. "Indeed it is," the Dark Lord said. Bellatrix Lestrange has a mishap with a spell and finds herself in one of her past lives ... as Cleopatra VII. And in this strange, ancient world, she finds more than one familiar face, including that of the notorious dictator, Julius Caesar...
1. Chapter 1

"Is it true that Purebloods have past lives?" A man with a dark beard towards the end of the table asked, looking towards the snakelike man at the head of the table.

All occupants of the long dining table at Malfoy Manor looked up expectantly at the Dark Lord, anxious to find out if the rumors were true.

Finally he spoke, his voice ominously high-pitched and raspy. "Indeed, it is.

"And you, Thicknese, shall relay this information to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, so that they may more precisely and accurately exploit those of non-magical blood and preserve those who are worthy."

"But my Lord," Pius Thicknese spoke cautiously, "how, exactly, might one be sure a wizard has had a past life?"

"There is a spell that will cause the receiver to relive a part of his or her past life," the Dark Lord explained. "Tell the Commission to use this spell on any witch or wizard whose Blood Status is in question.

"Because a Pureblood witch or wizard reliving his or her past life will appear to have fainted. A Mudblood will remain stoically conscious."

"And Half-Bloods, my Lord?"

Voldemort hissed at Thicknese's ridiculous stupidity. "Half-Bloods can go either way. If Half-Bloods must die because of this flaw, so be it. They are making sacrifices for magical blood purer than theirs." He raised his chin at Thicknese and narrowed his dark red eyes. "Now are you finished with your questions or would you like to make known even further to our company your unbridled stupidity and failure to understand my commands? "

The surrounding crowd of Death Eaters snickered and smirked.

"No, my Lord." Pius grew red and quiet.

"Very well. You are all dismissed until the Dark Mark calls once again," spoke the Dark Lord in his cold voice. The Death Eaters rose from the table and either made their way out the room or Dissapparated.

"Not so fast, Bella," the Dark Lord called out to Bellatrix Lestrange, who had risen from her chair on his left and was just about to depart from the room.

"Yes, my Lord?" she answered breathily, sitting instantly back down in her chair and scooting it closer to where Lord Voldemort sat.

"You have a special task at hand, Bella. It is a great accomplishment and honor, to be chosen by me for this task." He watched as her eyes lit up with manic glee, her chest heaving in excitement. She leaned closer to him.

"Anything for you, my Lord," she whispered.

"A wizard's past life can often provide valuable information about him. Strengths, weaknesses, points of downfall. A wizard's decisions in his past life will often reflect his decisions in the present life. You, my Bella, shall look into the past life of Harry Potter."

Bellatrix's eyes widened with the gravity of the assignment. The Dark Lord must truly trust her. Her heart swelled with happiness. "I shall not fail you, my Lord."

"I know that, Bella. Now be off – I do not wish to see you again until you have news and results for me regarding this task."

Obediently, Bellatrix Disapparated to the upstairs. She would order Scaboir to find the boy and bring him here.

Satisfied that all in Malfoy Manor was going according to plan, Lord Voldemort Disapparated to continue his search for the one thing plaguing his mind: the Elder Wand.


	2. Chapter 2

Bellatrix stood triumphantly over the pale, bloody body of Hermione Granger. She was ecstatic that Scaboir had finally found this Mudblood and her Weasley lover, but the one person she truly needed to catch was the boy. Harry Potter. Could that mangle-faced troll really have been him? She was convinced, it had to be. Draco had said otherwise … but Draco wasn't too bright, she reasoned.

She would have to see him again, after she was done torturing the Mudblood. She turned back to the wimpering pile of filth on the floor and kicked her in the side, earning a gasp and a cringe. Bellatrix smiled at these indications of pain.

"Stop!" As if on cue, the Potter boy burst through the door with his Weasley companion. "Release her!" the scar-face panted, pointing his wand straight at Bellatrix. His hair was askew, as well as his glasses – his face, filthy. His eyes glistened – he was determined. Bellatrix smiled a bit wider. But he was also scared.

Her eyes gleamed with triumph and hope as she hoisted the Mudblood Granger up and pressed a knife to her neck. "Not another word, or your poor little Mudblood goes bye-bye," Bellatrix smiled dangerously.

Potter began to advance. As if in warning, Bellatrix pressed the blade a bit harder to the girl's throat, causing a bead of her filthy blood to drip down. Harry Potter froze in his tracks.

This is my chance, Bellatrix realized as she locked eyes with the Potter boy. With her free hand, she whipped out her wand and, with a dramatic flick of her arm, shot the spell at the boy that would allow her to look into his past life.

Her eyes widened and gleamed, at first with joy as she saw the spell speeding towards its intended. But what was this?

"Expelliarmus!" Potter yelled, waving the wand in his hand just a moment too soon. The golden beam of light ricocheted towards that idiotic House-Elf, who in turn directed it towards the chandelier above Bellatrix's head. She screamed as she just barely dove out of the way of the falling chandelier.

But, although she'd managed to mostly dodge the fallen glass, she did not manage to dodge her own spell, which had bounced off the chandelier to hit her square in the chest.

Bellatrix's vision began to cloud over with black. In a fit of rage, she threw her dagger at the house elf, her last action before the black took over her vision and her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

The world began to come back to Bellatrix as she slowly regained conciousness. "The boy," she croaked. "Where is Potter?"

She felt around for her wand, only to have her hand land on soft cloth. She sat bolt upright. Was she in a bed? But hadn't she last been unconscious on the floor?

Oh, She slumped in relief. Cissy must have moved me to my bed.

She opened her eyes, blinking them twice to see clearly against the light streaming into her room. But what she saw made her wonder if she really had gone blind.

Her room was white! All white! Nothing like the dreary blacks and grays of Malfoy Manor. On her bed, in place of a mattress, was a mat of woven cords, and her bed covers were of a strange cloth. There were no pillows.

"Where am I?" Bellatrix wondered aloud. Then she gasped. She had just spoken a language unlike anything she'd ever heard before.

"My lady?" someone answered in that same strange language. Bellatrix looked up, startled to find a man standing in the room's doorway.

"Who are you?" Bellatrix asked, purposely adding hostility and venom to her voice. She reached around until she found her wand in the bed where she lay and pointed it at the stranger.

"My lady, what do you mean? Surely you know who and where you are."

Bellatrix cackled. "Of course I know who I am, fool," the corners of her mouth turned up. "Do you?"

He hesitated before answering. Bellatrix found weakness in hesitation. She jumped up from her bed, limber as a cat, and within the second was holding her wand to the man's throat.

"Who am I?" she shrieked menacingly.

The man answered, obviously terrified. "Why, you are Cleopatra VII Philopater." His voice shook. "Queen of the Nile, and Pharaoh of Egypt."

Bellatrix was immobilized, wand-hand still raised in mid air. A corner of her mouth twitched. "What?" she whispered shakily. "What did you say?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Cleopatra, my lady," the man repeated. "Queen of Egypt."

"How…?" Bellatrix began until she remembered the spell that had knocked her unconscious. The Dark Lord's seductively snakelike voice ran through her mind:

_'There is a spell that will cause the receiver to relive a part of his or her past life.'_

Her eyes widened. "So you mean to say…" Bellatrix said with an airy surprise. She looked down. Her black dress had been exchanged for a red Grecian gown with golden adornments and a gold belt and neckline. She reached a hand up slowly to feel her hair. Beneath her usual unruly, tangled mess lay a matching golden headdress.

But if her clothing was different . . . she removed her wand slowly from the man's neck and scrutinized it. It was different as well. It wasn't nearly as crooked and bent as her old wand. It also was lighter, of a different material; papyrus, it seemed. Adorning the stick were red jewels encrusted with gold. And what of the core? She closed her eyes and felt the vibration from the wand's center, listened to the whistling at its core, as she had seen the captive Ollivander do in Malfoy Manor.

Sphinx hair. She opened her eyes. "That I, am Cleopatra," she finished weakly.

Bellatrix didn't know much about Cleopatra. Of course, she had heard of her, greatest Pureblood witch of the Ancient East, conquerer of Muggles and Magicals alike. Seductress of powerful wizards. But she didn't know nearly enough to play the part.

Or maybe she did. Cleopatra was, after all, her apparent past life. And … the Dark Lord's voice, cold seduction, ran through her mind again … _'a wizard's decisions in his past life will often reflect his decisions in the present life.' _So perhaps all Bellatrix had to do was act like… herself?

"You," she now addressed the man, who she assumed was a servant. "Bring me a report as to the current state of the war." This was a place to start gathering information. She hadn't heard of any wars in Cleopatra's time, but it was safe to assume that no matter where or when, there was always some sort of war going on.

The servant uttered a fearful and hesitant "yes, my lady," and began to slowly back out of the room.

Rage overtook her at his disrespectful lack of haste and she pointed her wand straight at him, "go NOW! Or it'll be the Cruciatus Curse for you! GO!" The man stumbled backwards, skidded on the ground, and scampered out of the room like the coward he was.

Finally alone, Bellatrix – or, rather, Cleopatra – slumped down on her bed, overwhelmed by the new world she'd been suddenly thrust into.


	5. Chapter 5

Bellatrix supposed she should try and remember all she could about Cleopatra's life, if she was to play the part until she was released from the spell. She racked her brain, but found no memories within herself. She thought harder. There had to be something … she knew there was something - _someone_ - she was forgetting. She could feel it. A person who'd been important to Cleopatra. His name had also started with a C, if Bellatrix was not mistaken. C, C, C …

"My lady!" The servant's voice sounded, followed by his appearance a moment later. He was panting, clutching his chest and the doorway for support. A look of great worry lined his features. "His power is growing, my lady. He refuses to see you or any representative of Egypt for negotiation of power and territory. It is said he vows to stop at nothing to conquer our land in the name of Rome."

Bellatrix stood urgently, less out of concern for her newly acquired kingdom than for a longing to know the attacker's name. The servant was speaking of him, the one she could not remember. She was sure of it. "Who, you idiot, WHO?" She screamed.

The servant's bewildered look convinced Bellatrix that yes, she was definitely supposed to know who this was. "Answer man!" She screamed and whipped out her wand at the servant once again. "Or I'll have your head."

The servant cowered in the doorway, his voice barely audible. "Why, Julius Caesar, of course, my lady."

Bellatrix's jaw dropped. Of course. Caesar! All the memories came flooding back to her now, things she'd learned in History of Magic so long ago at Hogwarts, small legends and facts that her mother or father or Cissy had told her. "_Most ruthless wizarding tyrant of his time" … "called the Snake Lord by some, for his cold, almost reptilian ways"… "Didn't let any Muggles or Mudbloods live" … "slowly built his Pureblood empire across the Mediterranean lands." _Bellatrix narrowed her eyes as she felt another connection, another memory tugging at her. These descriptions – they sounded like someone she knew. But who –

Bellatrix gasped. Her eyes widened. She barely felt her wand slip out of her hand, nor did she hear the clatter it made on the Mosaic-tiled floor. "Of course," she whispered, casting her eyes aimlessly across the room. "It's him.

"The Dark Lord."


	6. Chapter 6

Bellatrix squirmed in her place. She was rolled tightly into a tapestry, which at that very moment was being brought before the Dark Lord – or, em, Caesar? – as a gift. She had to see him, to confirm her gnawing hunch that this "Caesar" really was who she though he was. She felt herself being put down and heard muffled voices through her dark hiding place.

"A gift, my lord, from the Ptolmeys themselves," said the voice of a messanger.

"Unroll it," said a high, cold voice. The voice Bellatrix always ached to hear. Her breath caught in her chest and began coming out in short heaves. It was him. The Dark Lord. It was true! He was really here! A gleeful thrill shuddered through her body.

"But, my Lord. Perhaps this ought to be done in a private place, where any possible – shall we say, Trojan – tactics can be easily deflected?" A low drone of a voice protested. Bellatrix felt her elation rapidly transform to anger and annoyance. It couldn't be … Severus?! Here?! Always in her way, always the traitor, even if the Dark Lord trusted him.

"Now, Brutus," the Dark Lord rebuked in his cold, silky voice. "Although the Lady Cleopatra's great stealth and tact is rumored throughout our lands, it is quite certain she remains unmatched by me. Even if she were to try, as you say – Trojan – tactics, I believe she would find any negotiations she had planned on making," he paused, "lost, in my presence." Bellatrix felt as though something was burning her slightly from outside, and she knew the Dark Lord was casting his eyes knowingly upon the tapestry in which she lay. "Now." He raised his voice. "Unroll it."

At that moment, a white light blinded Bellatrix, while a fresh gust of cold air collided with her body, making her shiver. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she saw Him: the Dark Lord, sitting upon an ornately carved gold and white throne in a room full of towering white pillars and archways, looking as splendid and glorious as he ever had, his black robes tied in the Ancient Roman fashion. Bellatrix scrambled to her knees and bowed before her master.

"My Lord," she whispered. As she looked up at him, a smile of dark amusement played upon the Dark Lord's lips.

"Lady Cleopatra," he said. "You do know well how to pay respect to a superior." His surrounding court snickered at what to them was a jab, but what to Bellatrix was a simple statement of the truth. "And what brings you to my court?" As if he didn't already know.

"I am here, my Lord," Bellatrix began, "not to negotiate, as you might assume, but to offer you my full services." _As though they weren't already yours, my Lord. _She bowed lower, demonstrating her submissiveness to him. "Conquer Egypt, do what you will, but I will always be loyal to you." This statement sent whispers of displeased shock through her accompanying party of messengers. But what did she care if a kingdom fell because of her? She only wished to serve the Dark Lord, her only Lord, her only Love.

The Dark Lord noticed these whispers as well. "Leave us!" He called to her messengers and to his court. The crowd obeyed and cleared out, until the only ones left in the room were the Dark Lord on his throne, Bellatrix kneeling before him, and Severus – or rather, Brutus – sitting to the Dark Lord's right. Anger flared up once again within Bellatrix as she saw him. How dare he sit where only those worthy of the Dark Lord's pride are to sit? How dare he?!

"That includes you, Brutus," the Dark Lord added humorlessly. Severus rose from his chair, cast one last disdainful glance at Bellatrix, looking her up and down, and left the room, his long black tunic billowing behind him. Even in the past life, he looks like a bloody bat, Bellatrix mused. A filthy traitor.

She turned back to her Lord. Finally, they were alone.


	7. Chapter 7

The Dark Lord descended from his throne and began pacing circles around Bellatrix, while she faithfully kept her eyes on the wall ahead of her.

"Cleopatra of the Ptolmeys," the Dark Lord murmured silkily. "You offer your loyalty and your allegiance to me."

"Yes, my Lord," Bellatrix answered humbly. He continued to pace.

"What is your motivation for this?"

_I love you, my Lord. I would do anything for you. _"I feel that it is in my kingdom's best interest to ally itself with yours by my submitting my power to you." _As though it wasn't already submitted, my Lord._

She felt him stop behind her. His sweet breath was cold on her neck. She closed her eyes, reveled in the sensation, in the closeness to her only Lord.

"Everything, in your power?" He hissed seductively, causing a small moan to escape Bellatrix.

"Everything, my Lord." Bellatrix gave a small cry of surprise and pleasure as she felt the Dark Lord's finger tracing her cheekbone. He_ never_ behaved like this in the present. Perhaps it was because in that world, he was so much colder and inhuman, so much more removed from anything that might cause him emotion. But in this world, where his soul wasn't fragmented … in this world, might he actually find her attractive?

He wrapped his arms around her waist, scratching it slightly with his fingertips, causing Bellatrix to inhale sharply. She opened her eyes as he spun her around to face him. He pulled her closer, pressing her against him.

"Mmm-my Lord," Bellatrix moaned.

"You speak the words 'my Lord' as though you already know and are loyal to me," he whispered, his breath teasing her lips. _As I am, my Lord._

Bellatrix felt her mouth open slightly, involuntarily. Barely aware of her actions, she grazed her hands along the Dark Lord's – Caesar's – chest, trailing them down to his abdomen, feeling the strong curves of his muscles. She allowed him to press her even closer. A burning desire shot through her – she wanted him more than she ever had, and he had never been this close, this tangible to her.

A cruel smile curled his lips.

"You give to my touch as though you've been my lover for years," he continued. _Only in my mind, my Lord._ As if reading her thoughts, he removed his grip on her waist and stole away from her.

A soft "no," escaped the bottom of her throat as she closed her eyes and tried to hold on to the lingering sensations; the heat, the closeness, the tingling on her skin. Sensations she might never have experienced with the present Dark Lord. Sensations she had spent years dreaming about that had never come close to reality.

"Open your eyes," came his cold, silky voice, melting her. He was sitting on his throne again, mocking her weakness, her desires, with smoldering red eyes.

"My Lord," her voice came out low and soft. She looked up at him, her eyes full of emotion and longing.

"Cleopatra," her Lord Julius Caesar addressed her. "You shall stay here in Rome until negotiations are settled regarding the relation of our lands. In the mean time, you shall sleep in the Red Chamber of the West Wing."

With a flick of his wand, the throne chamber doors – large and black, with ornate gold rose blossom carvings and an intricate pattern of swirls - were opened, revealing the awaiting crowd of Caesar's followers. The Dark Lord Caesar then pressed his wand to his throat to magnify his voice, and addressed someone in the crowd. "Antony," he called.

Bellatrix heard footsteps echoing across the great hall. She felt the footsteps' owner come to a halt next to her. "Yes, my Lord." Bellatrix's eyes widened. That was the voice of … she turned.

Lucius Malfoy.


End file.
